DEPARTMENT OF FASHION DESIGN & MERCHANDISING PROMOTION AND TENURE POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Approved by the School of the Arts Promotion and Tenure Committee

February 19, 2009

Mission Statement

The Fashion Design and Merchandising Department encompasses a unique partnership between the visual, technical and business aspects necessary for apparel design, production, and merchandising. Students are prepared to enter the industry by developing designstudyingboth technical and problem solving skills. Market identification, analysis and interpretation is emphasized in the Merchandising tracks in order to compete in the global economy

This document establishes department procedures and criteria for promotion and tenure which are consistent with the policies and procedures instituted by the School of the Arts Faculty Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedures. The criteria reflects the uniqueness of the disciplines within the department as described in the mission statement of the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising and addresses the standards set by the School and the University. The department guidelines address procedures which assure due process.

The document which follows supplements and in no way contradicts the policy delineated in the School of the Arts Promotion and Tenure Policy, the VCU Faculty Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedures, and the VCU Faculty Roles and Rewards Policy.

In order to avoid repetition, only those areas that require clarification will be numbered and presented.

General Criteria

2.2The following criteria focus upon the specific nature of the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising as outlined in the mission statement and will be in accord with those instituted by the University and the School of the Arts. These include (A) appropriate credentials and experience, (B) demonstrated quality in teaching, (C) demonstrated continuing scholarship and professional growth, and (D) demonstrated performance of service responsibilities within the university, school and department, profession and broader community. These criteria shall be considered by the peer review committee and the department chair in the formulation of their recommendations to the School of the Arts Promotion and Tenure Committee.

A.Appropriate Credentials and Experience

The candidate is expected to hold the appropriate terminal degree or its equivalent in order to be eligible for appointment, promotion and/or tenure. The terminal degree is the Master’s degree. The degree may vary depending on whether the candidate is in Design or Merchandising, such as an M.F. A., M.A., or M.Ed. Degrees, certificates, transcripts, and equivalencies must be presented at the time of hiring and are required for evaluation. All professional credentials and experience in or related to fashion design or merchandising must be documented. In addition, the department’s continuing, tenured faculty will meet with the department chair to determine whether or not equivalency is held, and if so, what qualifications of the candidate constitute the equivalency. A determination of equivalency requires the approval of the majority of the continuing, tenured faculty and must be verified by their signatures on a document placed in the faculty member’s permanent file. To allow the department flexibility, special expertise may be sought in areas outside that of the existing faculty. In those instances the department may consider appropriate degrees, diplomas and/or work experience in the areas of specialization.

B.Teaching

A teacher in the department is a designer, merchandiser and /or scholar who brings creative, intellectual, and technical expertise in the discipline to the classroom or studio. Demonstrated quality in teaching is essential for promotion and/or tenure. Factors to be considered may include (but are not limited to) the following:

 Knowledge of subject

 Ability to organize

 Use of appropriate teaching techniques

 Ability to communicate and impart knowledge

 Capacity to develop intellect and creativity of students

 Concern for students

 Openness to development of new instructional approaches

 Utilization of fair, impartial means of student evaluation

 Maintenance of academic and ethical standards

 Ability to effectively advise students

 Ability to inspire excellence in the discipline

 Ability to maintain flexibility in teaching methods and curriculum

C.Continuing Scholarship and Professional Growth

The candidate’s continuing scholarship and professional growth, are prerequisites for promotion and/or tenure and shall be assessed according to the criteria specified in the school’s Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedures.

The Peer Review Committee shall consider the quality of the work and the contribution made to the body of knowledge in design and/or merchandising and related disciplines. Greater weight shall then be given to activities receiving national or international recognition than activities of more limited significance. Activities and accomplishments to be considered in evaluating recognition shall be document and peer reviewed. They might include bur are not limited to:

Publications

Research/creative endeavors

Recipient of a grant

Presentations

Professional practice of design and/or consultation which require problem solving skills and abilities will be considered as important as traditional research resulting in publication.

Shows & exhibitions

D.Service

Expectations of service by faculty in the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising are consistent with the statement in the School of the Arts Promotion and Tenure Policies and Procedures.

2.3Basic Promotion Criteria for Promotion and tenure

Following are basic criteria for each rank which is consistent with the goals of both the department and school.

The criteria of Appropriate Credentials and Experience must be rated as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and to rise to the next academic rank, candidates must be rated satisfactory on Appropriate Credentials and Experience.

The basic criteria for promotion and tenure requires that the candidate earn a minimum rating in the areas of teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth and service according to the chart below:

Assistant / Associate / Professor
Excellent / 1 / 2
Very Good / 1 / 2 / 1
Satisfactory / 2

Promotion from Instructor to Assistant Professor requires suitable preparation and experience in the discipline, satisfactory performance of all academic duties and demonstrated potential for further professional development in teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth and service.

Promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor requires a terminal degree or equivalent, and sustained, demonstrated pattern of accomplishments in the areas of teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth, and service. Candidates for the rank of Associate Professor must have achieved sufficient quality and quantity of sustained endeavors which enable them to be judged as (1) effective, conscientious, and impartial teachers, (2) creative, independent, and productive artist/researchers, and (3) individuals who have produced meaningful service.

Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor requires a terminal degree or equivalent. Promotion to this rank is a significant achievement that demonstrates excellent contributions in teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth, and service. Promotion to Professor shall be reserved for those who have been recognized nationally by their peers for their professional achievements.

3.2Probationary (Tenure Eligible) Appointment

For promotion from Instructor to Assistant Professor in the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising the candidate must be reviewed and rated at least satisfactory in each of the three areas of teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth and service. Instructors promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor may become probationary (tenure-eligible)faculty. This designation is made by the chair with the approval of the dean.. Years of service accrued as an instructor are not counted toward the tenure eligible probationary period.

3.22Evaluation of Probation

In the semester preceding the beginning of the third year of a tenure-eligible faculty’s appointment, the department chair shall form a third year review committee. The committee will consist of three tenured faculty, one of whom will be appointed to chair the review committee. One committee member may be tenured faculty in another VCU department.

The faculty member being reviewed will create a file using the SOTA Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedures Advice Manual.

3.22EVALUATION OF PROBATION (amended by SOTA Guidelines May 2008)

A third year or interim review of tenure-eligible faculty will be held to assess the progress of the candidate and to discuss activities relative to their forthcoming review for promotion and tenure. The primary purpose of this review is to provide mentoring of the junior faculty by senior, tenured faculty.

For a traditional candidate with a six-year probationary period, this process will begin in November of the candidate’s third year of appointment. For other probationary periods, the review will begin no earlier than the halfway point of the candidate’s probationary period. At this time the candidate will meet with the department Chair to review the mid-term review process, and to address the candidate’s questions. During this meeting, the candidate can suggest specific members for the review committee.

By January 20th, the candidate will submit a current curriculum vitae, class syllabi, and a record of support materials for the areas of teaching, research and service, as appropriate to the department. The candidate will also provide a statement that outlines activities intended for the remaining three years before tenure review, in the areas of teaching, service and scholarship and professional growth, and may include a personal statement.

The Chair will charge a committee of three tenured faculty members, which can include a tenured faculty member from a related department as appropriate. This committee will convene in February to review the candidate’s materials.

The committee will review the materials and meet with the candidate. This meeting will afford the opportunity to discuss the candidate’s work, their understanding of the mission of the department, and to review the candidate’s job description. The candidate should be prepared to ask questions relating to his progress. The committee should not make prescriptive comments or remarks that could be construed as promises. The committee may request additional materials, as needed, including peer evaluations and teaching evaluations, and should obtain first hand information in all areas whenever possible.

The committee will prepare a final report that is submitted to the department Chair and to the candidate no later than April 30. The Chair will use the committee report to advise the candidate.

The committee report remains in the department as part of the candidate’s permanent file.

The file will contain a curriculum vitae that adheres to the approved SOTA promotion and tenure format and a self-evaluation. The self-evaluation shall be based on department and school’s Promotion and Tenure criteria and shall include the candidate’s work plans for the remainder of the probationary period. The file will be forwarded to the review committee before the end of the first semester of the candidate’s third year. The committee will conduct the evaluation of the faculty member’s progress toward meeting the criteria for Promotion and Tenure as stated in the school’s Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedures and in this document. The committee’s written assessment will include, but not be limited to:

  • Individual works plans
  • Accumulated student evaluations
  • Signed department peer evaluations

and will be forwarded to the department chair by the end of that semester. The report will become part of the candidate’s permanent file and will include a recommendation regarding continued probation or termination, as well as the numerical vote and the justification for the vote. The evaluation will provide a rating of excellent, very good, satisfactory, needs improvement, or unsatisfactory in the categories of teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth and service. The department chair will use the review committee’s report to counsel the candidate regarding his/her continued probation or termination.

3.33Collateral (Non-Tenure) Appointment

Criteria for promotion of collateral faculty shall be agreed upon in writing at the time of hiring by the collateral faculty member, department chair and the dean of the School of the Arts. This agreement will become part of the faculty member’s permanent personal file.. Collateral faculty are promoted based on the same written guidelines as tenure eligible faculty, except a collateral faculty’s effort shall be weighted by the special mix of duties assigned. If the duties change upon renewal of the csontract, changes will be agreed upon in writing by the collateral faculty member, department chair and the Dean of the School of the Arts. These changes will then be included in the faculty member’s permanent personal file.

3.4Continuing Review of Faculty

In addition to the review for promotion and/or tenure, faculty members in the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising are reviewed annually by the department chair.

The evaluation examines the faculty member’s performance in light of expected contributions as established previously using the University’s Roles & Rewards Policy and assigns a rating of excellent, very good, satisfactory, needs improvement, or unsatisfactory.

In accordance with the University Roles and Rewards Policy, the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising provides flexibility through the use of individualized work plans. In early April, each faculty member will develop an individual work plan with the assistance of the department chair. The individual work plan allows the faculty member flexibility in distributing efforts among the categories of teaching, continuing scholarship and professional growth, and service. The work plan establishes basic criteria for the evaluation of the faculty member’s efforts for the coming academic year. Evaluation of the faculty member’s performance in relation to the individual work plan shall take into account not only the faculty member’s accomplishments, but also the weight assigned to each work category by the plan. Both qualitative and quantitative factors will be considered in evaluation faculty work. The annual review by the department chair will be in writing and provides a rating of excellent, very good, satisfactory, needs improvement, or unsatisfactory in each category with an overall summative conclusion.

7.1Promotion and Tenure Initiated at the Department Level

Each Spring the department chair shall identify those faculty eligible for promotion and/or tenure for the forth coming academic year. The chair shall announce the deadlines for submitting the curriculum vitae and supporting materials before the end of the spring semester. All faculty members shall have the opportunity to make written recommendations for promotion and/or tenure to the department chair.

7.11Peer Evaluation

The department chair shall initiate the review process in accordance with the School of the Arts Faculty Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedures. A peer review committee shall be appointed by the department chair and will consist of three tenured department faculty, one tenured non department faculty and one Fashion Design Merchandising student. The student member will not be enrolled in classes taught by the candidate while the review is in progress.

All members shall have voting rights. The candidate has the right to challenge the appointment of any member of this committee by writing to the department chair within five working days following the date the candidate is notified of the committee composition.

The department chair appoints the Peer Review Committee Chair and charges the committee with its responsibilities. At the first meeting of the Peer Review Committee a secretary, who will record minutes and document all committee proceedings, shall be elected.The committee chair reviews the candidate’s materials and discusses the need for confidentiality. A schedule of meeting and a timetable for the processes, including assigned tasks and deadlines is established.

The candidate’s curriculum vitae and other documentation will be made available to all tenured faculty in the department prior to completion of the peer evaluation. The documents will be kept in the department office for a specific time period so that all tenured faculty may review and make written statement to the peer review committee. The Peer Review Committee shall conduct a substantive evaluation of the candidate’s record and performance and submit a written record of its proceedings, including a recommendation regarding promotion and/or tenure, the results of a vote made by secret ballot.

Candidate Materials

The candidate, referring to the School of the Arts Promotion and Tenure advice manual, shall prepare a portfolio which will including teaching continuing scholarship and professional growth and service materials. The materials will include but not be limited to:

 Curriculum vitae which corresponds to the approved School of the Arts format

 Teaching materials, such as course information and responsibilities, syllabi, outlines, project statements, objectives, handouts and examples of student work